The Distillery
Port Ellen distillery was first established in the 1820s by A.K. Mackay. Soon
after this Mackay was involved in bankruptcy proceedings and Port Ellen was taken
over by John Ramsey (Liberal MP for Stirling and chairman of Glasgow Chamber of
Commerce). John Ramsey was a leading whisky making figure of his day, and was
the first to recognise the benefits to be gained from exporting whisky to America.

The Distillery Today
In 1925 the distillery was acquired by DCL and closed down. Following an extensive
modernisation programme in 1967 it became licensed to Low Robertson & Co Ltd
of Edinburgh. In 1983 the distillery ceased production permanently.